The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is an attached agency under the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that looks after the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families. It provides benefits like financial assistance, training and education programs, repatriation during emergencies, and reintegration support when OFWs return to the Philippines. If you are an active OWWA member, you and your dependents can access scholarships, skills training, and livelihood programs to help improve your income and job opportunities.
To help OFWs gain better skills and income, OWWA partners with TESDA to fund technical-vocational training, scholarships, skills assessment, and certification programs. To put it simply, the partnership goes like this: OWWA provides the funding and support, while TESDA delivers the training and certification. Together, they help migrant workers and their families gain skills for better jobs abroad or start fresh when they return home.
What Does OWWA Do?
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is a national government agency that protects and promotes the welfare of Filipino migrant workers. It helps OFWs through:
- Social benefits and assistance
- Repatriation during emergencies
- Reintegration programs for returning OFWs
- Education and training support for OFWs and their families
If you are an active OWWA member, you and your dependents can access programs that focus on education, livelihood, and skills development.
How OWWA and TESDA Work Together
OWWA and TESDA work together to help OFWs and their families gain technical skills, certification, and better job opportunities. You can think of OWWA as the bridge and TESDA as the training provider. Over the years, their partnership—strengthened further through coordination with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)—has focused on upskilling, reintegration, and making Filipino migrant workers more competitive locally and abroad. When OWWA and TESDA work together, they make training more accessible and affordable for OFWs and their families in the Philippines and even abroad.
Here’s how the partnership actually works:
1. OWWA Funds the Training
OWWA uses its welfare funds to pay for training fees of qualified beneficiaries. This includes active OWWA members and, in many cases, their spouses and children.
2. TESDA Provides Accredited Training
TESDA manages accredited training centers, curriculum, assessment, and certification. After completing a course, you may receive a recognized National Certificate (NC).
3. Referral and Screening System
OWWA screens applicants and confirms membership status. Once approved, beneficiaries are referred to TESDA-accredited institutions.
4. Joint Planning
OWWA, TESDA, and DMW coordinate to identify in-demand skills globally. This helps align courses with real job opportunities in technology, maritime, and other industries.
Some of the programs jointly implemented by OWWA and TESDA, include:
- Skills-for-Employment Scholarship Program (SESP): Financial assistance (up to Php 14,500) for technical-vocational courses lasting 6 months to 2 years for active OWWA members and their dependents.
- Seafarers’ Upgrading Program (SUP): Provides up to Php 7,500 for maritime training to help seafarers meet international standards.
- Information Technology Training Program (ITTP): A 5-day computer literacy training program for OFWs and their families.
- Overseas Assessment Program (OAP): TESDA conducts free competency assessments and certification for OFWs in their host countries.
- Reintegration and Livelihood Training: Skills training for returning OFWs to help them transition into local employment or start a business, sometimes in coordination with DTI.
- Training, Assessment, and Certification Endorsed by DMW: TESDA provides programs based on skills priorities identified through coordination with DMW, while OWWA and DMW endorse qualified OFWs and dependents.
- Language and Culture Training for Outbound OFWs: TESDA conducts preparatory training for workers before deployment.
Benefits
This partnership is particularly beneficial to OFWs and their families because it offers:
- Free or subsidized TESDA training
- Recognized National Certificates (NC)
- Better job opportunities abroad
- Support when transitioning back to the Philippines
- Skills training for spouses and children
Whether you are preparing to leave, currently abroad, or planning to return home, upgrading your skills is one move you won’t regret. As one official said, skills are a form of protection. The more you learn, the more options you have.
For inquiries or other concerns, you may:
- Visit the nearest OWWA Regional Welfare Office or check official announcements via https://www.owwa.gov.ph.
- If you’re abroad, ask about the Overseas Assessment Program through your local Philippine office.